


Zodiac

by atavistic



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Humanstuck, Multi, Series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-05
Updated: 2015-04-17
Packaged: 2018-03-21 09:07:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,923
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3686436
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/atavistic/pseuds/atavistic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Based off this post: http://marxandengels.tumblr.com/post/115518963911/feelings-related-to-the-signs</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Aries

You’re sick, oh god, you’re so, so sick. The kind of sick where everything is hot, and confusing and people speak to you and you hear the words but you can’t understand them, like they’re speaking a foreign language, but you know they’re not so you gradually get more and more pissed off at yourself, until to slip into unconsciousness from the fever. 

You’re not in bed anymore, and your skin isn’t slick from sweat, but salt water. It’s two summers ago, when you were all friends; before Eridan screwed things up with Feferi, before everyone learned the hard way that Vriska wasn’t just trying to be edgy, when Equius was only just starting to read up on bullshit racial theory. You burst through the water, your hair plastered against your face and neck, and you’re greeted with a splash of water from Tavros, who grins at you, and starts doggy paddling away, never having grasped proper swimming like you had. Somewhere off in the distance, you see a man walking like he’s crapped his pants towards you. He’s got a whistle, and a peaked cap, and you all accept that as a sign of authority. You all scramble out of the water, grab your clothes, and pile into the back of Eridan’s big brother’s truck, blowing sand in the face of Captain Jobsworth, as you remember naming him. Half an hour later, and you’re well away from the sea. You’re on top of a hill, and you’ve got the picnic out. Kanaya is frantically trying to remind everyone that it’s only 11, and if they eat now they’ll be hungry before dinner, but they ignore her, and within half an hour all that’s left are celery sticks. Nepeta is the first one to come up with the idea of rolling down the hill, and irreversibly stains her dress doing so, but soon everyone’s at it, racing despite the fact that noone’s timing. Gamzee declares himself to have won. No one objects. Now it’s night time, it’s dark, and from this far out of the city you can see the stars. Eridan is pointing out constellations to Feferi, while Sollux vies for her attention by describing the process of nuclear fusion occurring inside every one of them. Gamzee, Tavros and Karkat are smoking under a tree, definitely not tobacco judging by their musings about ‘where we all motherfuckin come from, up there man’, and Nepeta has challenged Equius to an arm wrestle she’s not losing too badly. You’re not really doing anything, just staring. Staring at the bright white light of the burning sparkler between your hands, getting gradually more distressed as the light seems to bore into your eyes, making your brain hurt and heating you up again. You can’t understand what’s going on around you, you’re being invited to different conversations but you don’t know who these people are or what you’re saying. You walk towards the chasm that wasn’t there when you drove up, but which looks so, so peaceful. You stand at the edge, and stare down, there’s nothing down there. It’s not too deep to see the bottom, it’s not pure white, or pure black, it’s just nothing; absolute, peaceful, nothing. 

You let yourself fall.


	2. Taurus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Planting a tree. Shocking someone. Your toes in the sand, running for a bus. Going to a party, singing out loud with friends.
> 
> Warnings: Drugs, alcohol, mentions of death, disability.

You never expected to be in this situation, sitting in your chair while your best friend’s big sister planted a tree an hour long bus journey away from where you told your parents you’d be. Aradia hadn’t wanted to be buried conventionally, you all knew that, she was one of those people who talked about death a lot, not in a suicidal way, she just had a strange fascination with the afterlife, where she’d go, how she’d be remembered. She’d been very insistent that when she died she be cremated, and buried in one of those urns with a seed in that would let her grow into a tree. Her mother had vetoed the idea; she didn’t want to bury her daughter according to a fad. No one had protested, not wanting to upset an already grieving woman any further. 

Damara finishes planting the tree, and what she was saying. None of you have understood it, she’s been speaking in a made up language that she shared with Aradia, evidently the consequences of growing up without a TV. Gamzee hands you your crutches, and you slowly walk over to her sapling. Most of your friends look shocked, evidently having thought you were paralyzed for life, not just badly injured and struggling through physio. They clearly haven’t been reading your blog, the meanies, you posted the link on facebook and everything! You say your piece, it’s rambly and jumpy, and you talk about far too much stuff that doesn’t matter, but you think she’d like it. She’d laugh, affectionately and not at you, and then invite you back to hers, to play some weird game she found online. 

Once you’ve all spoken, well, most of you, Equius refused, you leave the forest. You insist on staying on crutches, even though your hands are starting to get sore. You don’t want anyone to have to push you. You have a bit of trouble getting through the golf course that you have to cross to get to the bus stop, but you manage, and the bunkers feel kinda nice on your toes through your sandals. Gamzee seems to agree with you, and takes of his sneakers to walk around in it a bit. Everyone else lets him get on with it, waiting until he notices they haven’t stopped and comes running back up to you. You’re about a minute from the bus stop when you see the one you need pulling away, you do your best to keep up with everyone else’s running, but you quickly fall behind. Thankfully, the driver isn’t a total twat, and a struggling disabled kid motivates him to stop the bus and wait.   
The journey is an hour of awkward silences, anecdotes that trail off, and promises that the party will take everyone’s mind of things. Damara has a bottle of vodka for each of you, and Gamzee has a few baggies of pills. Fuck knows you’re all gonna need it. 

You walk as a group into the party, it’s some random’s house party. Well, apartment party if you’re being pedantic about it. Karkat splits off from the herd, spotting a karaoke machine. It doesn’t take you long to get drunk, you’ve always been a lightweight, and Gamzee sits with you on the sofa while you pop the pills he gives you, glaring at Vriska whenever she gets near. You lean against him, as they take effect. Luckily, he’s respected your wishes and not given you anything too mind altering, you just feel yourself getting more confident. Due to this confidence, when Karkat calls out that you’re all ‘cordially fucking obligated’ to sing bohemian rhapsody with him, you’re one of the first to get to the microphone. You all crowd around it, personally you’re leaning against Equius, since he’s the least likely to fall. 

You pass out about halfway through thunderbolts and lightening, and wake up the next day with a killer headache and a mouth that tastes like shit.


	3. Gemini

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> GEMINI: MEETING SOMEONE NEW. HIDING IN HIDE AND SEEK. WAITING IN LINE, SHARING A SECRET. SKIPPING STONES. OPENING A GIFT.

You’re one of the last at the party, you’re largely teetotal, and haven’t passed out or gone home with anyone like the majority of the drunk people in this place. You’re sitting in the kitchen when someone approaches you, holding out a Pepsi. You vaguely remember that Eridan asked for one a couple of hours ago, and to a drunk person you and he look pretty similar. Well, you both have glasses, dark hair and awesome cheekbones. You take it, not wanting to confuse the guy. He’s blond, pretty short, skinnier than you, and you can’t read his emotions because of a stupid pair of shades he makes no move to take off, despite the entire apartment being dark. Fuckin’ hipsters. You sit with him for a while, chat about nothing, shitty tv shows you’ve seen, shittier ones that you both half remember from when you were kids. The conversation starts getting interesting when he brings up some tech trouble he’s been having, just before dawn, but by that point you’re both on the verge of falling into exhausted ramblings. He invites you to crash, and you accept the offer. It’s not weird, you’re just two guys sharing a bed. Not weird at all. 

In the morning, well, in the mid-afternoon, you say your goodbyes, and head off, having managed to get his facebook, tumblr and phone number. The latter seems a little old fashioned, but you don’t really care. The walk home is nice, you listen to music, hastily skipping over anything that reminds you of Aradia, run for a minute or so every so often, and grab a bagel when you realise how damn hungry you are. 

After a few days of pretty solid correspondence, mostly composed of sending eachother the weirdest, most fucked up pictures the internet has to offer, you get a long message, send while you were offline.   
hey dude sup   
so like  
my bros makin me babysit his friends kid right  
totally lame  
but they have an awesome tv and like four different gaming consoles so like dyou wanna come keep me company and split the pay n shit   
we get free roam of the fridge and i gotta stay til 3 for some kids wholl be in bed by like 8  
i dunno man I just don’t wanna be bored for that long you get me 

You chuckle at the message, man, he obviously tried really hard to not come off as awkward. You appreciate the effort, and send him a reply right back.   
2ure, 2end me where ii gotta be and when and ii’ll 2ee you there

Nice and casual, not at all letting on that you’re actually pretty psyched for this. Free food, gaming, and getting paid? Nice. 

You turn up at 6pm, at Dave’s place, and he drives you to the place. It’s a pretty nice house, detached, gated driveway, all that good shit. It’s a bit embarrassing getting a lift, but it’s not your fault you can’t get a licence, you’re too prone to fits to get one. Wouldn’t wanna kill any pedestrians because of flashy lights; that would such major ass. You introduce yourself to the parents, they seem to like you once they’ve been reassured they don’t have to pay double. You listen to the rules, and make yourself comfortable once they leave. The kids come down after about ten minutes, requesting dinner. Dave ‘cooks’ them mac ‘n’ cheese, he microwaves it from a packet, but that seems to satisfy them. They watch TV with you while they eat it, grinning conspiratorially at each other, until you demand, jokingly, to know what they’ve done. The girl informs you, laughing as she does so, that mom doesn’t let her eat on the couch, and that you’ve broken the rules. You put on a pantomime of guilt, and let them continue eating in front of the TV until they’re done. They both go to put their plates in the sink, before returning, with the same grins as before. 

“Dad always plays hide and seek before bed,” the boy lies, although you know he thinks he’s the most convincing thing you’ve ever heard. Still, you and Dave agree to play with them. Dave is the seeker, and you all run off. You’ve not had sufficient time to explore the house to know the really great spots, so you just bundle yourself into the cupboard under the sink. You’re skinny enough to manage, but your own elbow is digging into your ribs, and your knees are up by your collarbones. It’s very uncomfortable, but you’re pretty sure you’re gonna win this fuckin’ game. That’ll show the stupid kids. And Dave. Mostly Dave. 

Once the kids are asleep, and have stopped bothering you, you spend the rest of the night angrily beating eachother at Mario Kart, until you both crash out around one. He drives you home while you’re still half asleep, and you go to bed in your clothes. 

A few days later, you get another message, yet again while you’re offline:   
yo sol dude  
johns bein weeb trash and draggin me to some comiccon bullshit   
wanna come make it bearable  
ill buy your ticket n all that   
it might be fun right like im sure therell be drink n shit   
unless youre not down with drink n shit in which case just come to laugh at nerds with me

You were planning to go anyway, and you spend a good half hour debating whether you should tell him that. Wait, why the fuck do you care what he thinks? If he stops talking to you because you’d willingly drive four hours to get some rare yugioh cards then fuck him.   
ii’m going anyway  
but 2ure ii’ll keep you company   
and make 2ure your drunk a22 doe2n’t do anythiing 2tupiid

And pretty soon you’re in the back of his car, with a girl you briefly remember meeting while she was drunk out of her mind in your lap. The car is fuckin’ tiny, so there’s two layers of people. No one wanted you on their lap, oh the woes of having such a bony fucking ass. You drift in and out of consciousness for the majority of the trip, listening to everyone else enthuse about how fuckin’ bomb their cosplays are gonna be. 

The first day goes by without a hitch, you queue for several hours with Dave and spend a few minutes in the centre together, before noticing an entire corner sectioned off and full of gaming computers. No one sees you again until after you’ve been kicked out at the end of the day, back at the hotel room at a little past nine. Dave and John seem to have elected to share a bed, judging by how their crap is placed, and are sitting around the table in the corner. They wave you over, and it emerges that they’re attempting truth or dare, but failing. You sit down on the third chair, and request a truth once asked. 

“What’s the worst thing you’ve ever done?” Dave asks, evidently not starting with the light-hearted, funny questions. You’d think they’d like to know how far you’ve ever got with a girl before this, they’re clearly not completely brushed up on the etiquette. 

“Uh… I once flushed my brother’s meds, when I was like 8, to see what would happen,” you reply. They seem to accept it, although it’s kind of boring, and John was obviously hoping this new addition to his group had some deep dark secret past. 

The rest of the convention passes without incident, except for Rose, Dave’s terrifying sister/cousin/niece thing punching someone in the jaw and all of you being escorted out.   
At the beginning of your summer break, Eridan informs you that in three days you’re coming with him to his family’s beach house. It’s a fairly small group that’s been invited, the car contains only you, Feferi, Karkat, and an empty seat piled high with snacks where Aradia should rightfully be sitting. 

On the first night, you build a campfire. You’re fairly sure it’s not technically legal, since the whole area seems pretty protected to you, but Eridan assures you it’s okay. He’s responsible, anyway. If he gets fined it’s none of your business. 

You all sit with your backs to the fire, facing the water. Eridan is slowly edging his way towards Feferi; her ears are tipped red and she keeps casting her eyes over to you and KK. He seems to pick up on the hint, one you hadn’t even noticed, and insists you go for a walk with him. It seems a bit gay, but you go along with it. Not like you have much better to do. Once you’re alone the beach, far enough that you can’t really see Feferi anymore, he picks up a stone, and throws it out across ocean. It bounces once before sinking, and of course you decide you have to beat him. You pick up any old stone, and hurl it into the water. It sinks. He rolls his eyes, and passes you a flatter one. You throw it, it sinks again. You spend the rest of the night being taught how to skip stones. 

Your birthday comes and goes over the course of the trip. You don’t mention it. When you get home, your dad and brother are waiting for you in the kitchen. They’ve cooked you dinner, and there’s a small stack of gifts on the corner of the table. You’re forced into a rather embarrassing conical hat, but you don’t mind. Mituna has enthusiastically embraced his, and even your military pilot of a father doesn’t seem to mind his that much. You sense it wasn’t his idea. 

Once you finish the last bite of your honeycomb cake, a tradition that’s been going since your weird bee obsession around the age of 13, you immediately have a present thrust into your hands by Mituna. You open it to find an obviously handmade cuddly bee. You don’t have the heart to tell him that you’re far too old for it, or that you’re starting to have trouble finding space for the 18 he’s made you so far, so you offer him a brief hug, and the false information that you’ve been needing a teddy.


End file.
